For Suppliers

Welcome to the University of Washington Supplier-Dedicated Webpage!

Click through each section below for information regarding how to get started as a new UW supplier, purchase order and invoicing guidance, a reminder on maintaining your supplier account while engaging with the university, and links to supplier diversity and corporate social responsibility information. Important links for the university's Terms & Conditions, critical contact groups at the university and links to UW's Supplier Orientation events are also available.

Getting Started as a New UW Supplier

1. Registration - U.S. (domestic) and non-U.S. (foreign) companies selected to engage in business with the University of Washington are invited by email to complete the required Supplier Registration process and attach required IRS forms; UW employees interested in engaging with new suppliers must initiate the process by submitting the UW-internal Supplier Request Form, which is forwarded for review of by their unit, and approval of the request by Supplier Administrators, prior to the invite being sent to a supplier contact.

• Invitations are sent with a subject line of "Invitation to Join the University of Washington Supplier Community" - See an invitation example here.
• Registration instructions:
  • Instructions for the new U.S. Supplier Registration process
  • Instructions for the new Non-U.S. Supplier Registration process (additional IRS tax form information on the Tax Office’s Tax Forms for Foreign Payees webpage)

2. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Verification - UW verifies the prospective supplier's U.S. Taxpayer ID Number (TIN) information (EIN or SSN) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); UW must hold all payments until the correct TIN information is received and confirmed as matching IRS files without exception, as any inconsistencies may result in IRS penalties

3. Payment Enrollment - Supplier completes the enrollment process for electronic payments; instructions are sent after Supplier Registration is processed and approved

• See Payment Options section below

Please Note: Current or recently separated employees are typically not eligible to be suppliers to the university. Suppliers must disclose and departments must ask about previous UW employment or affiliation history prior to making any agreements or doing any business; UW staff must consult the resources available, including UW policies describing eligibility for supplier status in APS 32.3 and EO 32, and the Tax Office's online guidance and training materials.

Payment Options

The University offers the following payment options, some through our banking partners' solutions; please click the available links below for more details:

• vPayables (also called ePayables) Bank Card Payments through Bank of America - a virtual card method, ideal and preferred for U.S. corporations and partnerships with merchant terminals for processing card-based payments
  • When registering, selecting ePayables (BofA) allows the company information to be used to set up the virtual bank card (please allow 10 business days)
  • Suppliers are issued a card number, expiration date and CVV number; for data security, some details are included in a welcome email from UW, while other card details are included in the secure email from worksnoreply[@]works.com when the first payment is made; no physical card will be mailed.
  • Cards are set up with a zero ($0.00) balance and funded once an invoice is approved for payment, then a secure electronic remittance advice email is sent including invoice numbers and amounts, as well as card details to process payment using your merchant terminal.
  • Payments will be processed as credit card transactions; standard merchant fees will apply, which may not be passed to UW.

• ACH deposits through Paymode-X, part of Bank of America - direct deposits for UW suppliers, ideal for U.S. Partnerships, Sole Proprietors using an EIN and business name, and not-for-profit 501(c)(3) or government accounts
  • When registering, selecting Paymode allows the company information to be used to initiate the Paymode-X ACH process (please allow 10 business days)
  • Suppliers must also complete the secure UW enrollment directly with Paymode-X here: https://www.paymode.com/universityofwashington
  • The team at Paymode-X communicates with newly enrolled companies to authenticate bank account information; when the full process of authentication is complete, newly activated accounts are sent an email from Paymode-X with the subject line “The Paymode-X Membership for [Company/Supplier Name] is Active”
  • Activated Paymode-X accounts are communicated back to UW weekly and applied to the supplier record for the next payment to be made by ACH
  • Suppliers can check status, verify or update bank account information and manage their Paymode-X accounts by logging in or calling Paymode-X Support at 1-877-443-6944
  • Payments from UW do not incur fees for the Paymode-X service with a Basic Membership account; suppliers who choose a Premium Membership account will have additional features available (such as CTX or customer Accounts Receivable files) and will incur transaction processing fees, which may not be passed to UW - - see a comparison of membership types.

• Checks - available for contractors, or one-time payments
• Wire payments/transfers - available for non-U.S./foreign suppliers in USD
  • When registering, non-U.S. suppliers should attach a copy of their Wire/Bank Transfer account details on company letterhead (including Bank Name, Account Number, and Bank Identification Code (BIC)/SWIFT) to ensure wire/bank transfer payments can be made
• Additional payment card options for engagements with Harborview Medical Center

Purchase Order Process

Transacting Method: Each company’s transacting method UW could be different, primarily UW will use two methods: Email and EDI

• Email: Many companies will receive POs from UW by email, including all relevant attachments
  • If the business email initially reached is not correct, please see the Maintaining Your Profile section below and contact supplier administrators directly to request updates regarding your company's account (Note: shared or group emails work best so purchase orders continue to be processed during times of staff vacations, etc.)
• EDI: Companies doing business with UW Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, or those that have a RoundTrip catalog, are members of the GHX Exchange and will receive purchase orders through EDI (Electronic Data Interchange).
• Note: University of Washington is not using the Workday Supplier Portal to transmit Purchase Orders or receive Invoices and no log in is necessary for UW suppliers at this time.

Purchase Order Format: Organizations within UW have different purchase order numbering formats; the full PO number, including letters, numbers and dashes, is required on the invoice):

• UW Academy Workday-generated purchase orders are formatted as follows:
  • PO-0100001234
• UW Medicine Workday-generated purchase orders are formatted as follows (please note the addition of a letter indicating the issuing clinic):
  • Airlift Northwest: PO-A-0100001234
  • UW Medicine Primary Care: PO-C-0100001234
  • Harborview Medical Center: PO-H-0100001234
  • UW Physicians Network: PO-P-0100001234
  • UW Med Shared Services: PO-S-0100001234
  • UW Medical Center: PO-U-0100001234
• Note: Contracts, Subawards or other Agreements may have other numbering formats and associated processes; please inquire with the sender or department contact if assistance is needed.

Invoicing Requirements

The University is committed to paying its suppliers in the most efficient fashion possible and according to the purchase order terms.

General Requirements: Please note the following to ensure compliance with UW, state and federal guidelines:

• UW Academy payment terms are Net 30; UW Medical Center and associated clinics may be different
• Payment in advance is generally prohibited; bill UW only for items shipped or services provided
• Submit each invoice based on the instructions included on the UW purchase order
• Bill separately for each UW purchase order (PO); invoices referencing multiple POs are not accepted
• Provide complete and accurate information; using your company invoice, provide the following:
  • UW-issued Purchase Order (PO) number; 
    • The full PO number, including letters, numbers and dashes, is required (example: PO-0100001234); see Purchase Order Process above for additional details
    • Note: Incomplete or altered PO numbers is the primary cause of invoice failures
  • UW Ship-To address
  • Supplier Remit-To address
  • Invoice Number and Invoice Date
  • UW Customer Contact (person who placed the order)
  • Separate line item charges and description for each item, matching the Purchase Order, and referencing the line item number from the PO
  • Clearly marked invoice dollar total
  • Sales tax when applicable

eInvoicing: To optimize invoicing, UW has subscribed to GHX eInvoicing

• Invoices* for UW purchase orders should be emailed in Portable Document Format (PDF) to uwashington@ghxinvoicing.com
  • *excludes suppliers fully integrated with the GHX Exchange, or have not been issued a purchase order
  • Note: UW is not using the Workday Supplier Portal to receive Invoices or transmit Purchase Orders, thus no log in to Workday is necessary for UW suppliers at this time

Critical GHX eInvoicing Requirements:

• Include University of Washington prominently in invoice header; do not use alternative school of department names such as "Department of Social Work" or "School of Medicine"
• Always refer to the Purchase Order (PO) number as "Purchase Order number;" changing to a different term such as "Reference" will cause the invoice to fail
• Do not alter the UW PO number - the full PO number, including letters, numbers and dashes, is required; altering the PO number, including removing the "PO-" prefix or adding a suffix such as "-1" will cause the invoice to fail
• Do not substitute the PO number with a requisition, contract or grant number
• Invoices must adhere to the PO line details:
  • Include item numbers and/or item descriptions consistent with the issued PO
  • POs with multiple lines must be invoiced with the corresponding line number for each line
• Please refer to the GHX Invoice Submission Best Practices Guide for additional technical and other best practices, including:
  • Quantity of invoices per PDF document
  • Quantity of PDFs per email (not to exceed 12 PDFs)
  • Monitor the email address provided to GHX for responses; GHX will use the email to communicate that failed, were rejected, or otherwise require resending for processing

  • Do not send invoices from an unmonitored email account to avoid missing critical updates from GHX eInvoicing 

• Note: Do not send multiple invoice copies or request payment status at the eInvoicing email address; requests for payment status for purchases which include a PO number can be made to PCShelp@uw.edu when needed

Tax: UW is not tax exempt, therefore tax must be included on all invoices unless the items ordered:

• Are indicated as being purchased for resale
• Are indicated as being purchased for use in doctor prescribed treatment of medical patients
• Are indicated as being delivered (shipped) directly to an out-of-state address
• Are otherwise specifically exempted from sales tax by the Revised Code of Washington

For more information, please consult the Tax Office website.

Maintaining Your Profile

Suppliers are expected to communicate with enterprise supplier administrators to keep their company data current. Suppliers who do not have business with UW for a period of two years are periodically set to an inactive status and will require new registrations to do business with UW again.

• Company changes, such as changes to Taxpayer ID Number and business name (including trade names or Doing Business As names) require the submission of a new Supplier Registration
• Changes to procurement/order emails or business addresses are easily communicated to Supplier Administrators. UW suppliers who are regularly paid by UW and have an address change or addition do not need to re-complete the Supplier Registration process. Suppliers should contact Supplier Administrators directly at VControl@uw.edu with a copy of their W-9 featuring their current EIN and explanation for the adjustment to addresses currently on file with UW
  • Please note: Individuals and Sole Proprietors using an SSN as their Taxpayer Identification Number should simply email supplier administrators to request address changes, and the UW team will verify the individual's identity; please do not send any correspondence including SSN via email
• UW does not store or maintain supplier banking information for U.S. companies (U.S. suppliers paid by Paymode-X must communicate any bank changes directly to Paymode-X through their account or by calling Paymode-X at 877-443-6944); non-U.S. suppliers requesting bank transfer payments in USD may provide their Wire/Bank Transfer details on company letterhead to Supplier Administrators directly at VControl@uw.edu to have the details added to the supplier profile.

Supplier Diversity

UW Procurement Services is dedicated to ensuring the equality of business opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses. Please see our dedicated Supplier Diversity webpage for more information.

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